Choosing Between an Infant and a Convertible Newborn Car Seat

A car seat for newborns is also known as a baby car seat or infant safety seat. It is designed to protect infants against injury and death during car accidents. The harness distributes the restraint force across the child's head and body, rather than the neck or spinal cord.

These seats are available in rear-facing as well as convertible versions, and with a range of weight and height limits. These seats can also be a part of a travel set that can be converted into the base of a stroller.

Rear-facing

Rear-facing infant car seats provide the best protection for infants in crashes. They are designed to support and cradle children, while protecting their neck, head, and spine. They also help reduce injuries by keeping the impact of an accident from hitting your child. This is because the body of your child is not hitting the car seat or front passenger seat, but instead a soft, cushioned surface inside of their car seat.

Parents should ensure that their child is facing rear until they reach the maximum height or weight limit of their car seat, as per the AAP and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Around the age of one, most children will outgrow their infant car seat and transition to a convertible car seat that can face forward. However, many parents will want to keep their child in a rear-facing seat until their 2nd birthday.

There are two primary types: infant-only car seats and convertible car seats by age seats. Both are equally secure and safe, but they each offer different features. For example, infant-only seats are smaller, lighter and have an easy release base that is able to be removed from the car, and then reattached to a stroller base. Convertible car seats are bigger and heavier, but they do not have an integrated base for strollers.

No matter what type of seat you pick it is essential to adhere to the manufacturer's guidelines and ensure that you use the seat in the back seat of your vehicle. You can also place a blanket that is tightly rolled or washcloth between the crotch straps and your child to ensure the harness is tight. Make sure that the lower anchors of your car seat are correctly installed and are connected to the lower attachment points on the lower anchor bars.

Research suggests that babies who face the rear of the car are less likely to be injured in a car crash. Car seats with rear-facing seats allow babies to be less impacted when they crash into the car's front as opposed the the back which could result in serious injuries.

Forward-facing

Most parents have spent a lot of time into their infant car seat. It was a key item on the baby registry, and how you got your little one home from the hospital. You might think about changing the car seat to face forward as your child grows older. However, it's important to remember that children aren't ready for this until they reach the weight and height limits set by the manufacturer of their car seat.

Rear-facing is recommended until your baby weighs at minimum 20 pounds and reaches the age of one year. Children under one year old don't have the neck muscles required to withstand whiplash when involved in an accident. Additionally, they are at greater risk of suffering spinal injuries in head-on accidents.

You can buy a convertible or an all-in-one car seat, which allows your child to remain rear-facing until they meet the weight and height limit for the seat. These seats are typically bucket-style infant car seats that are attached to a base that can be installed in your vehicle. The base can then be detached and attached to strollers to form a travel system. They typically have lower weight and height restrictions than standard car seats.

You can also purchase a booster. These seats come with a harness and can be transformed into a booster seat which allows your child to wear a seat belt once they are ready. The main advantage of this kind of car seat is that it will remain in your vehicle throughout the childhood years, making it easy to move your child from one vehicle to another.

No matter what car seat you select, always read the manual and follow the installation instructions. It is also a good idea to consult a certified safety technician to ensure that the child's car seat is set up and used in a safe manner. Car seat misuse is very common, and even well-meaning parents could cause harm to their children if they don't know what they're doing. The best way to avoid this is to follow the car seat instructions and following the recommendations of a CPST.

Convertible

Many parents opt for convertible infant car seats because they develop with your baby, allowing them to safely travel from infanthood to toddlerhood. These seats are also less expensive than infant car seats and offer longevity for a long time. However, it is important to choose a seat that is simple to install and will fit in your vehicle. Also, ensure that you buckle up your baby properly every time.

Snug straps prevent the head from shifting to a dangerous chin-to chest position that could result in strangulation or even asphyxiation. Many infant car seats, right here, have straps that are unbuckled or loose, and this is a major safety risk. Straps that aren't buckled could cause a neck to hang and cause of many accidents. If the crotch strap has not been sufficiently tight enough to pass the pinch test, it can be a risk. This test determines if the crotch buckle fits enough to prevent a newborn's legs from sliding around in the seat and result in them being injured or trapped.

Some convertible infant car seats by age seats include an adjustable torso, which lets you adjust the height limit based on the growth of your child. The minimum torso should be at least the height of the shoulders of your infant or an inch lower. Some models come with an infant insert that can help raise your child to the proper height for the seat.

The best car seat convertible car seat for babies should be comfortable, with soft padding and a slim base that allows you to put it in your vehicle. It should also feature a snug, tight harness that passes the pinch test as well as a small and tightly-rolled blanket or towel for an emergency. It should also come with an attachment tether to the anchor points of your vehicle, which can help reduce injuries during a crash by reducing force of impact. In addition it should include the travel system, which consists of a car seat that pairs with a stroller, and comes with an handle that you can use to transport your infant from the car to the stroller.

Safety features

Parents have a lot to take into consideration when selecting the appropriate car seat for their newborns. Car seats are an essential purchase for families with new children and their use can reduce the likelihood that a child will suffer an fatal motor vehicle crash injury by 71 percent. The decision between a baby car seat and a convertible one is dependent on several factors, including safety features, compatibility of your vehicle, and convenience.

Infant car seats are designed with the fragile physiology of a newborn in mind. They usually come with an attached base that remains in the vehicle and a carrier that snaps into place, making it easy to move your baby from the car to stroller, and then back without disturbing them. They also come with harnesses built-in and a crotch belt to ensure your lightweight baby car seat's safety.

Some infant cars are equipped with side-impact protection that distributes the force of the collision away from the rotating infant car seat's neck and head. They have plastic, metal and foam that absorbs energy, and protects the baby's head from direct contact with the frame or other objects in a collision. Some have a special sock that extends from the door to protect the head of the child.

Another safety feature that's becoming more common in infant car seats is a chest clip that holds the harness straps flat across your newborn's chest. This prevents the straps from pinching or bending at the shoulders, which can expose your baby to higher risk of injury. If you choose a seat with this feature, make sure the chest clip is placed at armpit height. Avoid dressing your baby with bulky outerwear as this could cause interference with the harness.

No matter what type of car seat you select make sure it's installed in your vehicle as per the manufacturer's instructions. Look for the Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system, which consists of an attachment that clips onto a car's lower anchor points and the tether strap, which is attached to the top of the seat and connects to an anchor inside your vehicle. If your vehicle isn't equipped with LATCH, you may use the seat belt to secure your car seat.